The reigning champions of France, Lille, come from the north of France, close to the Belgian border. A big city, top-class football and tickets are never a problem. It makes Lille the ideal daytrip from the Netherlands, Belgium or even the south of the UK. You may even want to stay for the weekend because Lille is a perfect city to grab a couple of beers.
You could have won an awful load of money if you would have placed a bet on Lille becoming champions before the 2020/21 season. Against all odds, Les Dogues managed to stay ahead of the seemingly unbeatable Paris Saint-Germain. This year, they had to take a step back, but they're still doing great in the Champions League. Lille is good fun, no matter what.
Often when a club decides to move to a new stadium, fans will complain heavily. But not in Lille, where they had eagerly awaited a new arena. Their temporary Stadium Nord was an outdated track and field stadium that lacked atmosphere. And for big European nights, LOSC had to move 200 kilometres south to the Stade de France. Not an ideal situation, but finally, they have their own state-of-the-art arena. The Stade Pierre Mauroy, in the suburb Villeneuve d'Ascq, is a multifunctional arena for 50.000 people, with a roof and is made to host many different sports events and concerts. Maybe it doesn't tickle all your football senses, but if you see where Lille came from, it's truly a blessing.
When Lille was founded, they played their home games in Stade Grimonprez-Jooris, close to the city centre and next to the Citadel of Lille. But LOSC realised around the turn of the century that if they wanted to compete with the top teams, they had to build a new stadium. Preferably in the same place, but because of the historical place Grimonprez-Jooris, which is right next to the Citadel from the 17th century, the plans had to be cancelled. The old stadium disappeared entirely, except for one thing: The Monument of Henri Jooris, the man who the old stadium was named after and former chairman of Olympique Lillois, the predecessor of Lille OSC. The monument used to stand right in front of the main entrance and hasn't moved since.
Whilst the new stadium was being built, Lille played in Stadium Nord, in Villeneuve d'Ascq, for eight years. The stands were far from the pitch that was surrounded by a running track and a lot of seats were uncovered. Needless to say, the fans did not enjoy this place. However, it's the stadium where Lille regained their status as a French top team and where they sent many teams home without any points and where a certain Eden Hazard became one of the best players of Ligue 1. The absolute highlight was in 2011 when Lille became Ligue 1 champions for the first time in over 50 years. Hence why some Lille fans still have warm feelings for this cold stadium on Avenue de la Châtellenie, which is not far from Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
Even though Lille plays quite far out of the city these days, the ties are closer than ever. You could see it after Lille's last title win in 2021: The final whistle wasn't even blown yet, but in the streets of Lille, thousands of fans gathered at the Grand Place to celebrate the championship. This beautiful square is the beating heart of Lille and is usually the meeting point for international away fans as well.
You can buy tickets for Lille at the club's official website, even for the big matches in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. For people who hate to sit too low, please bear in mind that at football matches, the numbering of the rows starts at row 16, which is the lowest row and where you'll sit at the same height as the pitch.
The Stade Pierre Mauroy is well indicated on the roads of Lille, but sometimes still under the name 'Grand Stade'. It's easily accessible, right next to motorway N227. Don't be deceived by the floodlights you'll probably see above the motorway, those are from the former Stadium Nord. Follow the signs to one of the many parking lots around Stade Pierre Mauroy. You can book a parking spot on Lille's website too.
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